Answering: “At the end of a Sprint, a Product Backlog item worked on during the Sprint does not meet the Definition of Done. What two things should happen with the undone Product Backlog item?” (PSPO I)

An undone Product Backlog item goes back to the Product Backlog for the Product Owner to decide on, and it is left out of this Sprint’s Increment. Releasing it anyway or counting partial credit breaks the Definition of Done.

Exam Question

At the end of a Sprint, a Product Backlog item worked on during the Sprint does not meet the Definition of Done. What two things should happen with the undone Product Backlog item?
(choose the best two answers)
A. Put it on the Product Backlog for the Product Owner to decide what to do with it.
B. If the stakeholders agree, the Product Owner can accept it and release it to the users.
C. Do not include the item in the Increment this Sprint.
D. Review the item, add the done part of the estimate to the velocity and create a Story for the remaining work.

Correct Answer

A and C.

Why This Is the Correct Answer

The Scrum Guide says “If a Product Backlog item does not meet the Definition of Done, it cannot be released or even presented at the Sprint Review. Instead, it returns to the Product Backlog for future consideration.” That covers both correct answers. Returning the item lets the Product Owner reorder it with full knowledge, which might mean finishing it next Sprint or dropping it. Excluding it from the Increment keeps the Increment transparent, because everything in it meets the quality standard. Partially done work has unknown quality, so it cannot be treated as value delivered.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

B. Release it if the stakeholders agree. Stakeholder approval does not make undone work Done. The Scrum Guide forbids releasing it.

D. Count the done part toward velocity and create a story for the rest. Scrum gives no partial credit. Splitting after the fact hides that the item was not Done and distorts any measure of progress.

Exam Tip

Undone work always follows the same path: out of the Increment and back to the Product Backlog. Options with partial credit or stakeholder exceptions are wrong.

Key Takeaways

• Undone items return to the Product Backlog.
• Undone work is not part of the Increment.
• There is no partial credit in Scrum.